Wrench



June 1 1926.

A. ANDERSON WRENCH Filed Feb. 15, 1924 573%; A a derman v i i w 1 Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED STATES,

1,586,513 PATENT oF'FIcE.

axnr. ANDERSON, or narrow, new Application ma February is, 1924. Serial mi. 898,958.

be diflicult to reach with wrenches commonly muse.

In accordance with the preferred form of the invention a movable jaw is pivotally mounted on a member which is slidably and adjustably mounted on the handle member at the end of which the fixed jaw is formed. The sliding member which carries the mov able jaw may be fixedly latched or secured in adjusted position at a greater orless dis tance from the fixed jaw. after which the movable jaw is swung about its pivot to cause it to engage the adjacent surface of the pipe or other object, the opposite surface of which is engaged by thev fixed jaw, The movable jaw is thus swung about its pivot by means of a lever or second handle member which is pivotally connected to the movable jaw, and is itself supported on a pivot pin mounted in fixed arms extending from the slidable member on which the movable'jaw is pivoted. The pivot pin for the movable jaw extends through the inner end of the jaw, adjacent to the first handle member, and the lever or second handle mem; ber is so arranged that when it away from the first handle member the movable jaw swings open, and when thelever is moved toward the first handle member the movable jaw swings toward the pipe. or object to be gripped. Withthis construction the opening between the outer ends of the movable and closed jaws is greatest when the lever is in its outermost position, so that the wrench may readily be slipped over the object to be gripped, whereupon pressing the two handle members towards eachother" will bring the outer endsjof' the two jaws" rela -f tively nearer to each other, so as to firmly grip the pipe or other object. Alatch member isca-rried by the sliding member on the fixed handle, this latch member being provided with a tooth which will engage a fixed rack on the handle member carrying the fixed jaw, so as to'lock the sliding member in any desired adjusted position, in "accordance with the size of the object to be gripped, after which the lever referred to may be opis swun .ing'a frame pressed out of a piece of erated to quickly and firml grip the object. The latch member referred to is preferably rovided with a. short extension or handle, ocated between the two main-handle memv bers, which is spring-pressed into latching position.

The invention consists in-the various combinations, arrangements, and details of construction which. will bemore fully described in the following specification and which will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings, formmg part of this a plication and illustrating, by wa of exam e, a form of the invention which 'now pre er. In the drawin Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a wrench embodying the invention with the movable jaw.i n open position;

Fig. 2 is a sim lar view, partly shown in section, .-and with the movable jaw closed against a pipe'which is to be grip ed; and

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are sections ta en respectively on lines 33, 4-4, and 5.-5 of Fig. 2. Referring to the drawings, the wrench comprises a fixed handle member 1, having an end portion 2 curved around so as to extend at nearly a right angle to the handle portion, t his curved or angularly extended end constituting a fixed jaw and being providedon itsinner surface with serrations or teeth 3. The inner surface of the handle .member 1" is provided with a series of'for- A member 5 isslidably mounted on handle member 1, this manner preferably-com riswardly inclined teeth 4. for a suitable dismetal having a bottom portion 5 and u wardly extendin side portions 5", these si e' portionsbeing a apted to fit snugly against the sides of the handle member 1, and to extend u wardly or laterally some distance beyond t e same.

e movable jaw 6is pivoted at its inner end to the'forward portion of carriage or sliding member 5 by means of a pivot pin 7 which extends through the lower end of themovable jaw member and through the side portions 5" of the carriage adjacent to the inner or upper surface of handle member 1. This movable jaw is provided with a serrated or toothed forward surface 8. This movable jaw is preferably formed with a,

tween a pair of arms 11 whichextend laterally from carriage 5 a short distance to the rear of movable jaw 6. Arms 11 are fixedly secured to carriage 5 as by means of a rivet 12, or the like, extending through arms 11 and the side portions 5" of the carriage, a spacer 13 being indicated in Fig. 4 as mounted on pin or rivet 12 between arms 11, pressing the latter against the inner surfaces of the side portions 5 of the slidable carriage.

Hand lever 9 is pivotally connected at its forward end to movable jaw 6 by a pivot pm 14, which extends through the rearwardly extending flanges 6 of the movable aw and through the forward end of the hand lever, the forward end of the hand lever being inserted between the flanges 6" of the movable 'aw. This pivotal connection between the and lever and the movable jaw is preferably located adjacent the outer rear corner -of the movable jaw member. Hand lever 9 preferably has its forward end portion curved as shown, so that the rear or handle portion of the lever may extend substantially parallel to handle 1 and closely adja cent to it when the movable jaw is in closed position.

The latch member for latching or securing the sliding carriage 5 in adjusted position preferably comprises a lever 15 p1votally mounted adjacent its forward end on a pivot pin 16, which extends through the side flange 5" of the sliding carriage and through the forward end portion of the latch member which is inserted between the flanges 5 of the carriage. This latch member is provided with a downwardly or laterally extending tooth 17 which is adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth 4 on handle 1. The latch member also has a rearwardly extending arm or hand lever portion 15 which extends rearwardly for a suitable distance between handle member 1 and hand lever 9.

The latch member 15 is'preferably springpressed into position to cause tooth 17 to engage the rack or ratchet 4, by means of a spring 18 which may be coiled about the pivot pin 16, and provided with one end portion pressing against the fixed arms 11 as an abutment, the opposite end portion of the spring pressing against the arm 15 of the latch member, so as to ress the tooth 17 into engagement with teet 4. Carriage 5 may be moved forwardly on handle member 1 by merely pushing the same forwardly, the tooth of the latch member clicking over the ratchet teeth of rack 4. When the carriage is to be moved rearwardly or away from with the fixed jaw 2 pressing pipe 19 it is merely necessary to lift arm 15*, that is moveit away from handle member 1, which may very readily be done b the forefinger or thumb of the hand whic gri slever 9 or the hand on handle 1.

t isbelieved that the operation of the device will now be clearly apparent. When the pipe indicated at 19, for example, is to be gripped icarriage 5 1s moved up fairl close to the pipe, latch 15 clicking over no 4, the wrench, of course, being positioned against the opposite side ofthe ipe. Tooth 17 of-l-latch 15 then engages mo 4 to hold the carria firmly in this position, lever 9 being held 1n the outer position, shown in Fig. 1. Lever 9 will now be pressedtowards handle 1, re-, sulting, of course, in swin the movable jaw into its gripping position inst the pipe, as shown 1n Fig. 2. When t e wrench 18 to be used on a larger pipe, carriage 5 may be moved back on handle member 1, by lifting arm 15 of the latch.

It will be noted that with this construction a pipe may very easily be reached with the.

wrench from either side of the pi and regardless of whether the pipe is own ina corner or in some other relatively inaccessible position. The carriage 5 may, of course, be latched in a proximately the proper position on han e 1 before the wrench is moved agamst the pipe, in which case, lever 9 being in its open position, the outer ends of the two jaws are at their position of greatest distance from each other, these outer ends of the jaws being farther away from each other than the inner ends of the jaws, so that a comparatively wide opening is provided through which the pipe may he slipped. It will be noted that the wrench is comparatively simple and strong in its construction, is adjusted and operated very easily, and is not liable to get out of order.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited strictly to the exact details of construction which have been particularly described, but that the same is as broad as is indicated by the accompanyingclaims.

What I claim is:

1. In a wrench, the combination of a handle member having a fixed jaw, a member slidably mounted on said handle member, amovable jaw ivotally mounted at its inner end on said s dable member, a hand lever jg};-

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about its pivot towards or away from said fixed jaw in such wise that movement of. said hand lever toward said handle member 'will continuously swing said movable ja'w toward said fixed jaw, said handle member having ratchet teeth thereon, and a latch member pivoted to said slidable member, having a tooth for engaging said ratchet teeth, and. having an arm extending rearlwardly between said handle member and ever.

2. In a wrench, the combination of a bandle member having a. fixed jaw and a series of ratchet teeth, a slidable carriage on said 10 handle member having side portions extending laterally beyond said handle member, a movable jaw pivoted between said side portions, a hand lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said side portions and ivotally connected directly to said movab e jaw, and a latch member pivoted between sald side portions, having an arm extending rearwardly between said handle member and lever, and having a tooth for engaging said ratchet teeth on the handle member, and a spring engaging said latch member and pressing same into engaging position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

AXEL ANDERSON. 

